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20070410

Pound It! The Secret To Tender Chicken Breasts Everytime

by Jamie Hunter

Ever wonder how restaraunts are able to serve tender and juicy chicken breasts everytime? Well, I will let you in on two of their secrets.

The first thing you can do is to slow cook your chicken. The slower you can cook chicken or any other meat the more tender it will be. The only thing you have to worry about is overcooking, as this will cause the meat to become stringy and dried out. You can cover it in a pan with aluminum foil, and place it in the oven at 175 to 200 degrees for up to 8 hours. You could also use a crock pot. The only problem with crock pots is that moisture accumulates and if your meat sits in the liquid for too long it can have a "boiling effect" which doesn't work well with some recipes.

The next trick is to "tenderize" the meat before cooking. You will need to purchase or have access to a meat tenderarize for this to work. It's that hammer type utensil that has different sizes of spikes on the 4 sides it. Chicken breasts are usually pretty thick so pound it down until it's flat, being careful not to break through to the other side. It's okay if you do, but be careful when you're handling it or it could fall apart. By tenderizing it you are breaking down the natural consistency of the meat. I prefer using this method as opposed to slow cooking because it works with any recipe involving chicken breats.

Give this a try and I guarantee your chicken will be as tender and juicy as the pros!